{"id":3702,"date":"2023-06-30T07:27:43","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T07:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepoetryofscience.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=3702"},"modified":"2023-06-30T07:27:43","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T07:27:43","slug":"diminishing-depths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/thepoetryofscience\/3702\/diminishing-depths\/","title":{"rendered":"Diminishing Depths"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the heart of Earth’s veins,
\nthe reservoirs lie \u2013
\nguardians of water
\nkeeping watch
\nin the heat of the day
\nand the cool of the night.
\nAs the world swells
\nwith our needs,
\nthese watered vaults
\nbegin to sigh and weep,
\ntheir liquid wealth
\ndraining from the ground
\nlike sand
\nthrough the fingers of time.
\nIn the glare of the sun
\nwe watched the waters
\nfail to rise,
\nswelling numbers
\nsimply scoring the
\nemptiness within.
\nTheir sunken shelves
\nsearching for meaning
\non our ever-thirsty,
\nfuture shores.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
An empty Lindley Wood Reservoir located in the Washburn valley north of Otley in Yorkshire, England (Image Credit: Tom Blackwell, via Flickr).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This poem is inspired by recent research<\/a>, which has found that global reservoirs are becoming emptier.<\/p>\n

Surface water reservoirs serve as crucial repositories for the world’s water supply. As the global population continues to expand and the climate undergoes significant changes, the reliance on these reservoirs intensifies. However, a comprehensive understanding of the quantity of water stored within these reservoirs on a global scale remains elusive. This lack of knowledge presents a significant challenge, as it is imperative to accurately gauge our water resources to effectively strategize for future demands and ensure the sustainable use of this vital resource.<\/p>\n

Using satellite data, researchers in this new study have tracked changes in water storage in over 7,000 reservoirs worldwide from 1999 to 2018. They found that while the total amount of water stored has increased, mainly due to the building of new dams, the proportion of each reservoir’s capacity that is filled with water has decreased slightly. This decrease is more noticeable in the southern hemisphere, while the northern hemisphere has seen a slight increase. This suggests that simply building more reservoirs may not be a sustainable solution to meet our growing water needs, especially as climate change is expected to reduce the amount of water flowing into these reservoirs. This research serves as a significant alert, underscoring the imperative for the development and implementation of more sophisticated and effective water management strategies for the future.<\/p>\n